Joyous cheers in Hawke's Bay to celebrate 100 years since the end of the Great War

Taradale RSA president Peter Grant said there will be a time for silence and then cheers at the Armistice Day celebrations. Photo / Warren Buckland

While there will a time for silence and remembrance there will also be a time for noise — for joyous cheering and clapping — at this Sunday's Armistice Day gatherings across Hawke's Bay.

A spokesperson for the Napier RSA said — "following two minutes' silence at 11am we encourage everyone to help create a roaring chorus of jubilant sound that once again celebrates peace and hope for the future".

It will be the eleventh hour of the eleventh day of the eleventh month and exactly one hundred years since World War I ended.

The Napier service will be staged at the Memorial Square from 10am and among the guests will be the Honourable French Consul Alain Douylliez, along with representatives of the New Zealand and Australian navies.

Napier Mayor Bill Dalton and MP Stuart Nash will be among the guest speakers and wreaths will be laid on behalf of the people of New Zealand, Australia, Canada, Belgium, France and the United Kingdom.

The celebratory cries are also on the agenda for the Taradale and District RSA's service, which will be staged at the Taradale Clock Tower.

"A very special day," Taradale RSA president Peter Grant said, adding that at the end of a two-minute silence after the clock tower bells had rung 11 times there would be a call for loud celebration.

A celebration of the arrival of peace after more than four terrible years of war which claimed so many New Zealand service people.

The guest speaker will be Napier City Councillor Kirsten Wise, who, along with Grant, will lay the wreath during the service which is scheduled to get under way at 10.30am.

"But people wishing to lay their own wreath or a poppy can do so after the conclusion of the service," Grant said.

There will be a flyover as well as songs from the RSA Concert Party, who will also entertain at the Taradale RSA afterwards.

Grant said while the automatically activated chimes were shut down for Anzac Day service at the tower, they would stay on for Sunday's gathering.

"It will be great to hear those 11 chimes."

After the following two-minute silence, the call for noisily joyful celebration would be made.

Clubs Hastings CEO Jackie Wells said the celebratory stance would also be taken up for the RSA's Hastings commemorative event which will be held at the Hastings Clock Tower.

She said those who wished to march to the 10.30am gathering would need to "fall in" for the march from Market St to the clock tower at 10.25am.

Wayne Mowat will be master of ceremonies while guest speaker will be Rick Barker.

There will also be a Mayoral welcome from Sandra Hazelhurst.

Like the Taradale and Napier events there will be a flyover around 11am.

"It will be a celebration rather than a service," Wells said.

The Armistice Day gatherings in the region will have a strong naval presence.

The inshore patrol vessel HMNZS Hawea is scheduled to arrive in Napier on Friday with the officers and crew set to attend services throughout Hawke's Bay.

They will be joined by 40 officers and ship's company from HMNZS Te Kaha, which is home-ported to Napier.

They will travel by land however as the frigate is currently undergoing an upgrade in Canada.

While here they will also visit cadet units, the ship's charity Hopeha and several secondary schools.